17 Of The Best Fresh Summer Vegan Pasta Recipes
Summer veggies are here! Now’s the time to eat as many as possible and what better way to do it than in a delicious pasta dish. Check out these 17 vegan pasta recipes and find your new favorite!
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It goes without saying that pasta is the world’s most perfect food. I could eat it every night and never get tired of it. In fact, I do just that whenever we travel to Italy—happily and with a great deal of satisfaction.
Pasta is clearly good in every season but there’s something about highlighting summer vegetables by tossing them with toothsome noodles that gets me excited about dinner.
We are a mostly dairy-free house so vegan pasta recipes are the norm around here. I will serve most pasta with a block of Parmesan and a microplane if someone wants to grate some cheese over the top but otherwise, we generally stay away from butter and cream.
If you follow a vegan diet or are just looking for a delicious way to incorporate more plant-based dinners into your rotation, I think you will fall in love with all these recipes this summer.
*Just a note about the images: All these recipes are vegan. Some are pictured with cheese on top as a garnish but the cheese can easily be left out or swapped for vegan Parmesan cheese.
Summer Vegan Pasta Recipes
1. Zucchini Pasta with Pine Nuts and Mint
I love, love, love this pasta. It has a tremendous amount of fresh flavors for how few ingredients there are. The pine nuts are toasted and golden and add an almost “meatiness” to this dish. This pasta offers us another way to use up gorgeous summer zucchini.
2. Spaghetti Salad from The View From Great Island
Summer weeknight eating at its finest. This pasta dish boasts tons of vegetables from sweet corn to cherry tomato halves to red onion and baby spinach. It’s great warm, room temperature, or chilled. Love taking this pasta to summer potlucks and barbecues on hot summer days.
3. Spicy Zinfandel Spaghetti
This Zinfandel spaghetti recipe is an absolute revelation – surprisingly simple, yet packed to the brim with bold, delicious flavors.The Zinfandel creates a sauce that’s both fruity and a bit tart. Mustard greens are pleasantly peppery, a sprinkle of Parmesan ties it all together, and red pepper flakes give it a cozy warmth.
4. Pesto Artichoke Asparagus Pasta
The dynamic duo of artichokes and asparagus take this vegan pasta to the next level. The dairy-free pesto is also super flavorful with toasted almonds, basil, parsley, and lots of luscious olive oil. Make a double batch of pesto and keep it in the refrigerator to use whenever the urge strikes.
5. Vegan Lemon Pasta from Crowded Kitchen
Warning: This vegan pasta is highly addictive! The creamy lemon sauce utilizes all the best of vegan “dairy” products, plus fresh lemon juice to produce a dish so rich, bright and full of flavor you might just eat the whole pan yourself. Save some pasta water for an extra creamy sauce.
6. 5-Ingredient Summer Pico Pasta from This Mess Is Ours
The next time you need a simple and fresh dinner, make this Pico pasta. It’s the genius recipe from Meg at This Mess Is Ours. It takes our favorite Mexican salsa, Pico de Gallo and turns it into a pasta sauce with white beans for oomph and protein.
7. Tomato Mushroom Spaghetti
This easy vegan pasta has hearty tomato sauce has lots of caramelized mushrooms, sweet onions, and garlic. Serve tossed with spaghetti and a generous sprinkle of fresh basil!
8. Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Pasta from Beyond Sweet & Savory
Capitalize on summer eggplant that gets melted and caramelized in the oven along with the slow-roasted tomatoes and garlic. I love how this pasta is full of delicious and colorful summer veggies, such a easy weeknight dinner yet bursting with flavor.
9. Pasta with Almond Pesto and Green Beans
You always rely on fresh green beans to make any dish delicious in the summer but they go spectacularly well with this toasted almond pesto and thick, chewy al dente rigatoni. This pesto has a nice kick from red pepper flakes but you could leave them out if you don’t like spice. Leftovers keep great for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
10. Vegan Vodka Pasta from Ale Cooks
Cashews give this pasta rich creamy texture without any dairy and you don’t need to soak them or anything! No really, this recipe takes 15 minutes. By the way, it calls for canned tomatoes but you can substitute ripe fresh tomatoes in the summer. Finish with a few generous grinds of black pepper.
11. Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Pesto & Cherry Tomatoes
Easy and satisfying, this whole wheat pasta salad recipe has a simple ingredients list and comes together quickly. Made with hearty whole wheat pasta, herby pesto, and juicy cherry tomatoes. This vegan pasta salad hits the spot on warm summer days.
12. Vegan Bolognese
This Vegan Bolognese sauce swaps the traditional ground meat for an all-star cast of “meaty” vegetables including eggplant, red peppers, and zucchini. It is one of my favorite summer pasta recipes.
13. Garlic Mushroom Pasta with Chile Guajillo from Ale Cooks
I love strips of dried guajillo chiles in pasta.The unexpected addition offers a deep rustic flavor, completely different than the more traditional spicy red pepper flakes. They pair nicely in this pasta with earthy mushrooms and lots of garlic. Make sure you use guajillo chiles that are flexible and soft. Don’t use them if they are hard and brittle, they won’t rehydrate properly.
14. Italian Pasta Salad from Healthy Seasonal Recipes
This chilled pasta salad is perfect for when it gets super hot outside. The fresh vegetables and zingy dressing taste just like summer. I love all the variety of vegetables here: sweet cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and briny kalamata olives mixed with peppers and fresh herbs.
15. The BEST Spaghetti Marinara
Admittedly this is an all-year-long kind of vegan pasta recipe but its reliance on pantry staples makes it feel easy and breezy for summer. Again, this is a great sauce just to have on hand in the fridge, so make a double or even triple batch.
16. The Ultimate Vegan Mac + Cheese from Orchid and Sweet Tea
A pot of creamy vegan pasta may not seem too summery but I think we all crave cream sauce all year long (at least I do). Plus you can always mix in fresh cooked veggies right before serving like blanched broccolini or green beans.
17. Pasta Fagioli
A very easy vegan version of the classic Italian soup. I have been making this hearty soup for years and it is by far my BEST Pasta Fagioli Recipe. You are going to love this simple summer pasta recipe.
17 Vegan Pasta Recipes To Choose From!
Which one will you try first? Drop me a comment below and let me know. Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @katesbestrecipes so that I can see! Also, sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter so you never miss a thing.
